Civil Servants from Afghan Ministry of Finance, Recipients of UCA's Certificate in Policy Analysis, Form Professional Association in Kabul

Date: 24 February 2016

Graduates of the University of Central Asia’s Institute of Public Policy (UCA IPPA) Certificate Programme in Policy Analysis (CPPA) in Afghanistan formed an Alumni Association on 21 January 2016 in Kabul, Afghanistan to support on-going efforts to improve governance by building capacity of civil servants.

The 26 Afghan civil servants who founded the professional association work within the Ministry of Finance of the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan. They consist of CPPA graduates from both the first and the second cohorts. Delivered through a partnership with the Ministry expressed by a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU), CPPA has received strong support from the Ministry.

Mrs Nurjehan Mawani, Diplomatic Representative of the Aga Khan Development Network in Afghanistan (seated, third from left) with Ministry of Finance civil servants and recipients of UCA training as they formally establish a professional association.

Members of the newly formed association gathered to deliberate the organisation’s future activities. “The Association is unusual because of its strong orientation towards becoming a voluntary professional association of civil servants who want to improve the performance of government by professionalising public service. That all graduates are tied to one ministry, and a very critical one at that – Finance – gives a sharper focus to a common interest and a critical mass of human resources to advance this agenda,” said Dr Bohdan Krawchenko, UCA Director General and Dean of Graduate Studies.

Participants formed an Association Committee, elected members and a Chairperson. Participants discussed measures to advance networking and communication, as well as professional development. It was proposed the next meeting focus on establishing the Association’s formal Code of Conduct.

“Success is born out of constancy of purpose, and our initial step to form this UCA professional association in Afghanistan draws us closer to creating a support network for capacity building in the civil services,” said Sayed Daud Fazli, UCA IPPA alumni and Chair-elect.

Mrs Nurjehan Mawani, Diplomatic Representative of the Aga Khan Development Network (AKDN) congratulated members and encouraged them to give the best policy advice, based on sound judgment, evidence and analysis. She added, “At the right moment with the right words your delivery of advice has the potential to influence far more. Be courageous in providing your advice. This is what is called: ‘Speaking Truth to Power.”

CPPA is an executive programme designed for civil servants, independent analysts and staff at think tanks and non-governmental organisations. It includes four modules: Policy Process in Government, Economics for Policy Analysis, Methods of Policy Analysis and Policy Monitoring and Evaluation. Each participant also developed a policy paper and defended it before an expert panel.

The course is a 25-credit European Credit Transfer and Accumulation System (ECTS) programme. The programme is delivered in a flexible modular format to allow Afghan participants to travel to UCA in Bishkek, Kyrgyz Republic for sessions. The course for Afghan learners was delivered through an ongoing partnership between UCA and the Ministry of Finance of the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan.

Since 2014, UCA IPPA has delivered CPPA to civil servants from Afghanistan, Kyrgyz Republic and Tajikistan under the framework of its Research and Public Policy Initiative, supported by the International Development Research Centre, Ottawa, Canada and the Aga Khan Foundation Canada.